PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Coast Guard Station Little Creek crews assisted three people after their boat began taking on water off Virginia Beach, Virginia, Thursday.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads in Portsmouth received a radio call at about 6:20 p.m. that a 27-foot Bayliner boat with three people aboard was taking on water in the vicinity of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.

Once on scene, Station Little Creek crew members boarded the vessel with a dewatering pump to manage the flooding.

The RB-M crew took the boat in tow, then passed the tow to the RB-S crew, who towed the boat to Cove Marina in Virginia Beach.

“Mishaps can worsen very suddenly underway, which is why people should call for help as soon as something goes wrong,” said Seaman Walter Jesuncosky, coxswain for the case. “Having communications equipment like radios on board is a good way to ensure you can call for assistance when you need it.”